Chapter 2.3

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A cluster of birth defects, including abnormal facial characteristics, slow physical growth, and retarded mental development, that may occur in the child of a woman who drinks alcohol while pregnant

Preterm birth

A birth that occurs three or more weeks before the full 38 weeks of the typical pregnancy have elapsed, that is, at 35 or fewer weeks after conception

Extremely low birthweight (ELBW)

A body weight at birth of less than 2 pounds, 3 ounces (1,000 grams)

Very low birthweight (VLBW)

A body weight at birth of less than 3 pounds, 5 ounces (1,500 grams)

Low birthweight (LBW)

A body weight at birth of less than 5.5 pounds (2,500 grams)

Down Syndrome

A condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46, with three rather than two chromosomes at the 21st position. They typically have distinctive characteristics, including unusual facial features (thick tongue, round face, slanted eyes), heart abnormalities, and language difficulties. (Also called trisomy-21.)

Cerebral palsy

A disorder that results from damage to the brain's motor centers. These people have difficulty with muscle control, so their speech and/or body movements are impaired

Anoxia

A lack of oxygen that, if prolonged, can cause brain damage or death

Threshold effect

A situation in which a certain teratogen is relatively harmless in small doses but becomes harmful once exposure reaches a certain level

heritability

A statistic that indicates what percentage of the variation in a particular trait within a particular population, in a particular context and era, can be traced to genes

Behavioral teratogens

Agents and conditions that can harm the prenatal brain, impairing the future child's intellectual and emotional functioning

Teratogen

Agents and conditions, including viruses, drugs, and chemicals, that can impair prenatal development and result in birth defects or even death

Small for Gestational Age (SGA)

Having a body weight at birth that is significantly lower than expected, given the time since conception. For example, a 5-pound (2,265-gram) newborn is considered this if born on time but not if born two months early. (Also called small-for-dates.)

Hispanic paradox

The surprising notion that, although low SES usually correlates with poor health, this is not true for Hispanics in the United States. For example, when compared with the U.S. average LBW rate, Hispanic newborns are less often of low birthweight